


twilight distance

by ebonynightwriter



Series: Shallura Month 2017 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Universe, Castleship, Developing Relationship, Episode: s01e01 Rise of the Voltron, Gen, Late Night Conversations, One-Shot, Shallura Month 2017, Thinking and Recollection, post-episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 09:07:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12884619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonynightwriter/pseuds/ebonynightwriter
Summary: In the hours following Sendak’s defeat, Shiro finds himself restless – there’s a lot to take in.





	twilight distance

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** Just a small moment I thought would be fun to write. There’s not a whole lot to it since this event is so long and I don't want to use all the good stuff at the start. But I hope you enjoy it! :D 
> 
> -.-
> 
>  **[shallura month (2017) // day 1](http://ebonynightwriter.tumblr.com/tagged/mine:%20shallura%20month%202017)** · princess
> 
> -.-

The castle is quiet — it had been the last few hours, as the team finished basking in their underdog victory and found their new beds. The lights in the rooms dim to a soft turquoise, perfect for pulling one into a deep slumber. But as tired as he thought he was, Shiro couldn’t sleep. Not with the smoldering ruins of the Galra ship at their door and battle still fresh in his blood — a thousand questions still bouncing through his mind.

He does his best of course, closing his eyes and letting his body relax against the soft bed. He tries to let his mind go free, to let all thoughts and worries slip away as the sound of the vents above hummed through the room. It doesn't take long before a feeling of weightlessness comes over him, and he breathes deeply as it spreads throughout his body. The sharp edges of his mind begin to fade…

—the _pop_ of metal jolts him awake.

He sits upright almost on cue, eyes shifting through the shadows till he finds the outline of the closed door. He stays still for a moment, watching it — and when nothing of note happens he eases onto his side, wrapping his forearms over his head. The breeze in the vents grows loud against his ears, and he squeezes his arms tighter and tighter, heart racing in his chest.

His legs sweep over the bed.

He stares into the dark, hand lifting to the bridge of his nose. Within him memory stirs of a time just _days_ ago, when the only thing against his back was the wall of a cell. Now he was in a castle on a planet light-years from Earth, stationed at the helm of the greatest weapon in the known universe.

It’s a lot to take in.

He needs a walk.

.

.

.

He wanders the halls – down the corridors and stairways, past cramped closets and grand, open ballrooms. The racket of the barracks fades the further he goes, traveling so aimlessly the paths begin to blur. The décor is uniform everywhere he goes, the light above him shining the same faint glow all around and suddenly he finds himself lost in a maze of white tunnels and passageways – and now even more alone.

His head begins to hurt.

He stops for a moment, the tips of his metal fingers grazing the wall as he turns around, trying to remember the way he came. He recalls taking the left furthest down the hall, and then a right—

—and he turns the next corner to find something out-of-place; an open door, leading to a darkened room. He approaches it, entering the threshold with caution to his step. The room is wide, carved out in the shape of a half-circle, with no discernible objects in sight. Lines of blue light surround the edges of a window across from the door, and a figure stands in front of it, one he recognizes right away, despite only having met that same day.

He takes a breath, then steps forward.

“Princess—”

Hand tightening on the edge of the window, she spins, nightgown and hair wrapping around her in a whirl as she turns to face him. For a moment her eyes are wide and wild, the markings surrounding her iris’s glow in the dim light. Shiro stops in his place immediately, hands raised.

“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She seems to calm, body straightening as she breathes out a steady sigh.

“It is fine,” she says. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

He walks the rest of the way to her.

“Lost in thought?” he suggests. She turns back to the window as he arrives at her right, placing her fingertips flat against its sill.

“Something like that,” she replies, her gaze flat on the ground. Shiro watches her, and she must be still for a moment longer than she realizes, for she turns at him suddenly, full of questions. “Is there something wrong with your room? Are you unable to sleep?”

Her concern surprises him.

“Yes— well, no, not exactly,” he says, raising his shoulders. “The room’s fine. It’s… me who’s having trouble. There’s just… a lot on my mind.”

“Oh…” she replies, and his body settles as her gaze lowers once again. Shiro lets his wander the room, not quite sure of what else he could say. They stand in silence as he finally brings his eyes to the landscape beyond the window. It stretched out wide before them, an expanding terrain of hills and forests – the horizon lined with far-reaching mountains. The sky above was filled with stars. He stares at them – viewing patterns and constellations he’d never seen before. The night is quiet and calm, and the stillness alone fills him with wonder — as if suddenly he was five years old again, gazing up as his father points out Ursa Major.

The thought brings a smile to his lips.

“It’s quite the view,” he says, crossing his arms. The Princess nods beside him, hands folded at her waist.

“I’m glad you think so,” she says. “It may not have much use now, but feel free to use this and the other rooms of the Castle as much as you’d like. Once we get them working, of course.”

“Thank you,” he says, relaxing his arms as he smiles at her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She smiles back.

“I suppose I should retire for the evening,” she says. “It has been a long day.”

“Of course,” he nods. “Goodnight, Princess.”

She returns the gesture in kind. “Goodnight, Shiro.”

He watches as she leaves, turning back to the window once she’s halfway across the room. He lets out a sigh, breath fogging the glass at his face.

“Shiro?”

He turns to her. She stands at the door, hand against the frame, the light of the hall illuminating her form. She is still, as if thinking through the words she’d like to say. Then, her head raises. Her voice is soft.

“Call me Allura.”

He smiles.

“Goodnight, Allura.”


End file.
